Reincarnating Crimes
by Memet
Summary: WIP Jack's past as an assassin comes back to haunt him when someone he kills is introduced to SG1
1. Prolgue

A/N:  I am currently suffering writer's block with my other stories, so I got the idea for this one and decided to go ahead.

The story takes place around 3-4 season of Stargate.  Given this is a side project – update frequency will be decided completely upon amount of reviews, otherwise, expect long periods of wait.

Title: Reincarnating crimes

Spoilers: none (that I know of)

Summary:  Jack's past as an assassin catches up to him when someone he's killed is introduced to SG1

Disclaimer:  I own nothing but my cat (and I think she owns me) Stargate SG1 is owned by its various channels and created, whose name I can't remember.  The Shriti'ai is completely fictional but much of their beliefs are based on the Hinduistic model.

Not BETA'D – there will be mistakes, hopefully not large ones

Prologue – Mission Objectives

The soldier walked slowly through the camp, making his way to a particular tent.  Shadows covered everything, except for the small flames that were allowed to grow for warmth.  He walked past the sleeping figures with ease; trusted since he was a friend, an ally, … and their killer.

For months the soldier had worked with these people, slowly gaining their trust.  At first he had merely been an American, not to be trusted, but his advice and hard-work had turned the hearts of these people.  It was a difficult task; they were an ancient sect, the Shiriti'ai, of Hinduism that followed their leader, the Puranas or Living Lengend.  

The Shiriti'ai renounced the caste system and devoted every action as a prayer to the universe, so that they eventually be reincarnated as a higher being.  The Puranas, much like the Dali Lama, was said to have been reincarnated a thousand times over and had existed since before the Buddha or Jesus the Christ or Moses.  

They encouraged their neighbours to renounce the capital views of the West, and because of that the surrounding political leaders were unhappy.  The sect remained in no country for long, but wandered from East Asia to the Middle East teaching the mantras to reach Nirvana – the absence of the materialism that plagued humanity into a higher being that existed in Nirvana.  However, political leaders of the various countries viewed the members as fanatics.  

Eventually, the American government decided that the unrest being caused by the Shiriti'ai was causing the Middle East to destabilize.  Which brings us back to the lone American.

After receiving his orders, the soldier had been placed in an area where it was believed the Shiriti'ai would visit next.  Several months passed, but the analysts were right.  It had taken time, but the soldier now had access to the entire camp.

More than accepted, he had been embraced by no only the people but the Puranas as well.  They had spent many nights talking in the leader's tent; talking about life and death and duty.

Now duty brought the soldier to his friend's tent for one last time.

The assassin entered quietly, but wasn't surprised to see the man still awake with his back towards the assassin.

"So it is time, then, my friend," the man remarked.

"You've known all along, haven't you?  Who I am, and what I'm here to do?" the assassin asked.

The man turned to face the soldier with a half smile on his face.

"You are not the first to come for my life, nor do I suspect you will be the last.  But none have I ever been blessed to call my friend."

The soldier stepped forward, and knelt before the man.

"I can't save my life, but I can save my people.  If I am murdered, I will become a martyr and my people will follow the path of revenge.  If, however, I die of natural causes they will simply leave and wait for my arrival."

The assassin nodded, and produced from his pouch a small tablet.

"We're given these, in case of capture.  They're quick and painless – it'll look like you had an aneurysm." 

The man took the tablet with a steady hand, and replaced it will a pendent necklace.

"I have had this pendant for many lives.  I wish for you to hold on to it, and return it to me when we meet again.

The assassin looked at the gift with disbelief.

"I can't take this!  You know I don't believe in reincarnation, and besides, shouldn't you give this to someone trustworthy.  After all, I am sorta here to kill you," the soldier said, his natural sarcasm showing through.

The man laughed and said, "Don't worry, my friend.  For a assassin, you're the epitome of trust.  I only ask that you lead my people to Sanctuary."

The soldier's head shot up.  _Sanctuary?_

The man handed over a map that was on parchment that appeared centuries old.  It detailed a path towards a destination in India known as Sanctuary.

"Whenever our sect has been on the edge of extinction, we return to Sanctuary and wait.  Soon, the world changes and we are free to roam again."

"For crying out loud, does the term 'assassin' mean anything to you?" the soldier asked in exasperation.

"I trust the man who has walked with my people, and fed with them, and slept with them.  It is that man that I entrust this to.  All I ask in return is for your true name, John Smith."

"Jack O'Neill."

"I shall remember that.  Until we meet again, my friend."  With that he popped the tablet in his mouth.  The Puranas convulsed a few times then collapsed.  The soldier felt for a pulse, only to find none.  He stared by the body for the whole night.

TBC


	2. Ch 1 Sruti

A/N:  *peeks head out* Um...wow, I wrote the prologue at midnight in one sitting and was I surprised when I saw eight reviews in my mailbox this morning.  Fortunately for all of you, I'm still suffering writer's block (more like too much writer's imagination – I can do five/six different things and I can't choose :p) so here is the next chapter!

Disclaimer:  My cat still owns me, and I own nothing but Bob my laptop  

Still not BETA'd – if you want the job let me know

Chapter 1 –  Sruti

"Jack, you don't understand the possible significance …" 

Jack O'Neill stopped in his tracks and the following Daniel Jackson barely missed colliding with him.  Jack had been heading to the cafeteria in the top-secret underground base in Cheyenne Mountain, when he had made the mistake in asking Daniel if he wanted to come along.

The archaeologist had been researching the location of a lost sect.  This normally wasn't unusual, except that this group was supposed to be still on Earth rather than some unknown planet.  SG1 had just visited a planet where the occupants had followed a religion similar to Hinduism, though it differed mostly by their refusal to follow the caste system.  Returning to Earth, Jackson had searched through texts to find a possible Earth predecessor.

And he had.

"A little over ten years ago there was this sect known as the Shiriti'ai.  From what I've read, they still practice a religion almost identical to the one discovered on PX3124.  Can you imagine it, Jack?  They're continuing on a way of life that has existed unchanged among other cultural systems for possibly over a millennia!"

"Daniel, how exactly does this help us with destroying the Gou'ald?  You know, those nasty snake-heads who think their gods?  Is this ringing any bells in your head, Danny?" Jack remarked sarcastically, continuing his walk towards food, and more importantly -- red jello.

Daniel Jackson caught up just as Jack was sitting down to eat with the other members of SG1: Major Samantha Carter and Teal'c.          

"I think if we can find this lost sect on Earth it'll lead us to something that can help us defeat the Gou'ald," Jackson insisted.

Carter glanced between Jack and Daniel.

"What's going on?" she asked, ignoring O'Neill's desperate shaking of the head.

"Remember when we visited PX3124 – you said there was no traces whatsoever of advanced technology," Daniel began.

"Right.  Besides the Stargate, there wasn't even evidence of Gou'ald technology."

"Exactly.  There's no evidence that the people were enslaved after they were brought to the planet.  Their religion supports this; they don't worship a particular deity and seek to escape the cycle of Nirvana by reaching a higher plane, so I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this," Daniel finished, looking around expectantly.

"Why don't you tell us anyway," O'Neill drawled, eating a spoonful of jello.

"Are you suggesting that they weren't colonized by the Gou'ald, but by another alien race?" Carter asked sceptically.

"Think about it.  Given their level of technology, the Gou'ald could easily conquer the planet, yet they haven't.  What if it's because the Gou'ald don't know about them?" Daniel said excitably.  Carter smiled as she started to understand Daniel's point.  Then frowned as she thought of something.

"But there's no way for us to contact the aliens that transported those colonists."

Jackson leaned forward has he reached the crucial part of his argument.

"Not necessarily.  I've discovered there was a sect on Earth until ten years ago whose practices are almost identical to those found on PX3124.  They completely disappeared after the death of their leader, the Puranas, and none of the efforts to discover their location have succeeded.  They have been able to hide, undetected from satellite surveillance and without outside contact for ten years.  In my research, I've discovered references to a 'Sanctuary' that will protect the Shiriti'ai."

"And you think the Sanctuary protects them because it contains advance technology passed down from the aliens," Carter followed, though remained sceptical.  "Even if your right, how do you suppose _we_ find the Sanctuary?"

"That's just it.  The Shiriti'ai have re-emerged, in search of their leader."

"Didn't you say the leader was a little incapacitated – like, I don't know, dead?" O'Neill remarked, eyeing Daniel's uneaten jello.  Jackson sighed, and surrendered the dessert.

"Indeed, DanielJackson, there seems to be an error in your logic," Teal'c commented.

"The Puranas is like the Dali Lama, and is said to be reincarnated after every death until he chooses not too.  The Shiriti'ai are asking for entrance into the United States because they believe the Puranas has been reborn as an American.  They also insist on meeting with…" Daniel trailed off, searching his memory.

"Ah, yes, the Keeper of Sanctuary."

******************************************

Jack O'Neill sat quietly in his office, almost wishing there _was_ paperwork for him to do -- anything to keep him from his memories.  Jack fingered the pendent around his neck.

He had waited with the body of his friend, and target, until the sun came up and the members awakened.  When the group found them together, Jack half-hoped they would figure it out.  At that moment, he had wanted nothing more than to die with his friend.  But the Shiriti'ai had seen the pendent now hanging from his neck, and the map clenched tightly in his fist.  O'Neill was the Sruti, the Keeper of Sanctuary, and the guardian of the Shiriti'ai until the Puranas was reborn.

So Jack had led them to Sanctuary.  There, they offered him a place beside them – to live in peace without fear from the rest of the world until the Puranas was reborn.  The place was like a dream, an oasis in the desert.  To this day Jack still didn't understand how the place had come to be, but he always remembered it in his dreams.  But his duty was outside of these walls.  And he didn't deserve peace in the place his victim called home.  

"But how can you know when or where the Puranas is reborn hiding in Sanctuary?" he had asked, confused.  The group smiled enigmatically, and took him to a small temple.  In the centre, a small crystal globe circled in mid-air seemingly by magic.

"When the Puranas returns to us, his light with shine and we will know him."

Carefully, a woman took Jack's hand and pricked his finger.  Before he could react, his finger was placed in a crevice of the pedestal that was below the globe.  Immediately, a gold ball appeared in India.

The woman pointed.

"That is you, Sruti.  Now, wherever you will go you will still be here with us."

Jack smiled at the memory.  This was why he had allowed Daniel Jackson to remain on Abydos after the first mission; he understood the comfort that could be found in the acceptance of another people.  Daniel had deserved his peace.

The colonel's smile faded as he thought of Daniel's discovery.  From what the Puranas had explained to Jack, the archaeologist's theory might not be completely off base.  Jack hadn't understood then, being only an assassin, but now after having visited so many worlds he recognized alien technology.

And it was alien technology that hid the Sanctuary.

After returning from the mission, Jack spent several months going through debriefings.  Several of his superior officers were positive that O'Neill knew the location of the Shiriti'ai.  But they were never able to determine one way or the other and surveillance had revealed nothing.  

Several months after his release, O'Neill was sitting at home while his wife and kid were out shopping when the doorbell rang.  At his step, was a member of the Shiriti'ai.

In her eyes, he saw that she knew who he was.  But those same eyes held no hate, or fear, or revenge.  Silently, she placed a hand over Jack's heart and smiled.

"The Puranas has been reborn, beloved brother, and you are absolved of your crime.  We wait impatiently for the day when the Sruti and the Puranas are with us again in more than spirit."  With that, she was gone – as if she was never there.  

From that moment on, Jack wasn't merely a soldier.  He was the Sruti and Keeper of Sanctuary.  Until the day he died.    

TBC


	3. Ch 2 Memories

A/N:  This week has sucked big time.  I've been doing the work of TWO people because my co-worker had to go and somehow get himself committed into a psych ward. (I'm not kidding, this is really happening).

Thanx to all my reviewers, they really picked me up and motivated me to continue this story.  This story is lower down on my priority ladder so reviews really do make a difference on how quickly I update.  **Shrugs** not that I'm nagging or nothing. (REVIEW)

Chapter 2 – Memories

Jack O'Neill wasn't surprised when he received a call to Washington.  In fact, ever since Daniel had told him about the Shiriti'ai emerging, he had been expecting it.

Some of the faces had changed since his last debriefing on the Shiriti'ai, but the agenda hadn't.  Though the sect was no longer considered as great a threat as the Al Quada and other terrorist groups – the Puranas concerned them greatly.

Most importantly, how much his reincarnation would remember.

Jack had been surprised by the general acceptance by the officials on the concept of reincarnation – but after overseeing the Stargate mission logs, O'Neill supposed it wasn't that great of a stretch.  Unfortunately, that also meant it occurred to the brass that their 'dead leader' wasn't as disposed as they would hope.

So they had called Jack to determine if the Puranas would maintain sufficient memory of his previous life to implicate the American government in an assassination.  Of course, on one level Jack found this amusing.  How many assassins were afraid of their victims identifying them after they had successfully completed their mission?

"Colonel O'Neill, after spending several months with the Shiriti'ai, were you able to determine the credence of their leader's claim that he was the reincarnation of the previous Puranas?" a general asked.

"Sir, as I said in my earlier report, I still believe that the Puranas held no memories of his previous lives, if they existed."

"Yes, but that was before you began to work with the Stargate program.  Surely, you are now more open-minded about…unusual occurances."

"Sir, there was no evidence to support the Puranas' claims.  Since the Shiriti'ai are unaware of our involvement in the Puranas' death, exposure of our American involvement should be negligible."

"I'm not concerned with the Puranas; if he is real he's still only a boy of twelve now.  What I want to know is who this Keeper of Sanctuary is?  Can you shed some light on the subject, Colonel?" an NID man asked.

"Sir, I'm sorry to say that I can't."

It was obvious the NID didn't believe the Colonel, but decided to let the matter drop.  That made O'Neill nervous, who knew from experience that the NID never 'let things go'.  The questions continued for a few hours but the Colonel was unable to give than any additional information.  Finally, they let him go.

Jack left the building and sighed with relief.  At least they still had no idea who the Puranas' new reincarnation was, but if the Shiriti'ai were unable to gain entry into the United States…

The Puranas could remember every past life (except for the very first ones) with a greater recall than most people remembered their own lives.  

Which meant that he was a danger.

**************************

Liam Stanton watched his father struggle through the translations for the ancient document.  Being an archaeologist, Matthew Stanton could often be found pouring through textbooks and ancient texts – or going around the world in search of new discovers.  Liam had resigned himself at a young age to not seeing much of his father, having never felt a significant attachment to the man.

The boy often wondered why he wasn't more upset by his father's absence.  His best friend, Andrew, complained how his father's career in the military meant he was never there for his son.  Often, Andrew would act out for attention even if it were disciplinary.  

But Liam…

He accepted his father's priorities without fuss, and handled his parent's divorce with no dramatics.  His grades were maintained at a 4.0 GPA, and he had a healthy social life.  But Liam never felt like he belonged.  Not in his school, not with his friends, not in his family.

It was as if there was another life out there waiting for him. 

Liam sighed, and touched his father's shoulder.  The older man turned to glare at his son.

"Liam, how many times have I told you not to interrupt me while I'm working?  I've been working on translating this sentence for hours and you've disrupted my thoughts," he growled.  The boy just rolled his eyes.

"It says, 'And the God Ra brought forth his hand and brought death to the unbeliever.'  Come on, I need a ride to school."

The boy turned to grab his coat, not realizing what he had just done.  His father stared at his son's retreating figure in amazement.  He returned to the text and checked his notes.  In shock, Matthew Stanton – one of the leading archaeologists in the world – realized his son had translated in a second what had taken him five hours.  

*********************************

Daniel Jackson hurried down the hall, in his haste bumping into Jack.

"Ah, Jack, I didn't realize you were back.  How was Washington?"

"Loud.  Where are you off to in such a hurry?"  Jack asked, changing the subject.  The two men continued towards the entrance to the base.

"A colleague of mine has translated an ancient text which I believe refers to Goa'uld technology.  I convinced General Hammond to let him on the base so he can help me with some texts I found on PQ3949."

Jack grinned slightly at the other man's enthusiasm.  What he found so exciting about old books was beyond him, but the Colonel did admire Jackson's determination.  He had had the strength to publish that aliens had built the pyramids – even if he was right, it still took a great deal of determination.

The elevator doors opened and Jack found himself face to face with a man in his forties and a twelve-year old boy.  

"Jack O'Neill, this is Dr. Matthew Stanton -- Dr. Stanton, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill and second-in-command of the base," Jackson introduced, and the two men shook hands.  Stanton took his son by the elbow and brought him forward.

"This is my son, Liam.  I'm afraid I couldn't find a babysitter, if that is alright."  Daniel immediately assuaged the man's fears.  The boy looked at his father with slight disdain, which amused the Colonel.

"Hi, I'm Jack," O'Neill said, holding out his hand.

"Hi," Liam replied and took the hand.  

Both men froze and looked at each other.  As soon as their hands had touched, Liam had felt a door open in his mind.  Suddenly, he could remember _everything_.  It was like he knew everything, had experienced everything, had _been_ everything.  And he knew the man in front of him.

Jack stared at the boy who was his friend though they had never met before.  Under his shirt, he could feel the pendant begin to warm.  Looking at Liam's face, the Colonel knew that Liam remembered him.  And what had happened.

The two archaeologists were too busy discussing different theories to notice the strange interaction between the other two members of their group.  Had they been paying attention, they would have seen Jack O'Neill take out a pendant inscribed with ancient symbols from around his neck and place it around Liam's.  They would also have noticed the boy placing a hand over the Colonel's heart and whispering a benediction in a language dead for over five thousand years.

But they were scholars – and remained oblivious.  

For now.

TBC


	4. Ch 3 Aliens

A/N: welcome back to the cesspool that is my mind BWAHAHAHAHA 

Thanx to all my reviewers – I decided to update early because of your reviews ::I think you all get the hint::

Chapter 3 – Aliens 

Dr. Stanton and Dr. Jackson talked excitably about their research, leaving their less enthusiastic comrades to trail behind.  They never noticed when the two headed off to the cafeteria while the archaeologists walked towards Daniel's office.  In fact, it would be hours before they were aware of the outside world.  And then, it would be a painful awakening.

Jack and Liam sat at a table, both loaded up with red jello.  To the naked eye, it would appear the two were making idle conversation; when in reality they were discussing matters that could result in their death.

"How much do you remember?" Jack asked.

"Everything.  It's quite unusual, never before have a I had such an awakening.  In previous lifetimes my awakenings have been gradual; I wonder what has made this lifetime different?" Liam pondered, his voice becoming older than his twelve years.

Jack sighed.

"Yeah, well, since the whole 'killing you' thing didn't work out_ exactly_ the way the brass planned – they're a little nervous.  You know, with the whole reincarnation and remembering who ordered your assassination."

"Forcryingoutloud," the twelve-year old groaned, eliciting a smile from the colonel.

"What about the Shiriti'ai?  Since I've reawakened they should be attempting to find me."

"That could be a problem.  They've been denied access to the States; the government is claiming they're a terrorist group.  Daniel Jackson has been doing his best, but neither of our contacts have been able to make any headway.  I've contacted the Shiriti'ai and instructed them to return to Sanctuary until, well, I located you."

Jack paused.

"Liam, is the Sanctuary alien technology?"

Liam grew quiet – regarding his friend intently.  None of the Shiriti'ai knew the origin of Sanctuary – even though they suspected that humans did not construct it.  For Jack to ask that question meant that the colonel's work was not what his father had said it was.  

"If I tell you, my friend, I will have to know what inspired that question."

Jack fell silent himself.  He was under orders to not reveal knowledge about the Stargate program, but… he was also under orders to tell the truth regarding the Puranas.  It's not like there wasn't a precedent for him defying orders.

"Come with me."

The two headed out of the cafeteria.  Liam was curious where they were headed – realizing Jack would need someplace private and unlikely for their talk to be interrupted.  So it was with great amusement when O'Neill led them to his office.

"Your office?" Liam asked with a smile.

"No one would ever think to look for me here," Jack said with a shrug.  Jack sat down with his back to the camera, and Liam mimicked his action.

"Okay, on this base there is this big round circle – and somehow using physics stuff I don't understand, I go through it to other worlds."

"Ah, the Chapa'ai," Liam said with dawning comprehension.  Jack stared stupefied.

"How the hell did you know that?"

"Jack, you asked if the Sanctuary was created by aliens.  Several millennia ago an alien race visited Earth.  They were curious about the developing sentient life on this planet, and our potential.  They took several 'specimens' to their ships to teach them – I was one of those.  I spent much of my first life aboard an alien vessel, learning.  They determined that the human race had the potential to become powerful – for either good or evil.  So they took their children – as we were called – and their families and transported them to another planet so they may develop uncorrupted."

_PX3124_, Jack thought.

"I remained, however, in the hopes of guiding humanity.  I'm afraid I haven't done the greatest job – though many of my followers have had more impact."

"Followers?"

"Buddha, Jesus, Mohammad, Zorathestra, and others.  The pendent I gave to you is also a communication device.  If at anytime I become…tired of my duty, I can ask to be taken home."

"Who exactly are these aliens?"

"They called themselves the Furlings."

******************************************************

"Matthew, have you been able to translate this yet?" Daniel asked, looking at particular paragraph in the text Matthew had brought.

"Only in part, I haven't been able to figure out what _shamai_ _no tramen _means."

"I think it means 'guide of those left behind'.  If I understand this right, it says that the gods of the first race left behind a guide to instruct the second race after the first was taken to paradise.  I think the guide is a reference to the Puranas, the spiritual leader of the Shiriti'ai."

Matthew looked up from his work.

"The sect that has been trying to get into the States for the past few months?"

"Exactly.  If I'm right, and the Puranas really does have memories from earlier lifetimes, then he could tell us who these gods were."

"Daniel, you're talking as if gods were real.  I thought you had given up on your theory that aliens had built the pyramids," Matthew asked, a little disdainfully.

"Right, of course, because that's completely idiotic with no bearing in reality," Daniel said distractively.

********************************************

"How do you even know the Furlings are still out there?  Last time I checked, no one had heard from them in a _very _long time.  And this was from people who lived for thousands of years."

"Because I talk to them," Liam answered calmly.

"Of course, I should have guessed.  You talk to long lost aliens because in your first life you were considered one of their children and remained behind to guide the rest of humanity towards some great destiny.  You know, I remember when a statement like that would have been a joke."

Liam laughed.  

"I really have missed you, my friend.  It has been many centuries since I met someone I trusted to carry the name of Sruti."

"What does it mean to be the Sruti, now that you're – um, back?"

"Once a Sruti is chosen, it's for life.  The primary duty of the Sruti is to protect the Shiriti'ai from enemies inside and out.  In some generations it's a spiritual leader, in others a political advisor.  Or a warrior."

Liam frowned in concentration, trying to remember everything he had learned from the Furlings.

"If you've gone through the Chapa'ai – that means you've met the Goa'uld, haven't you," Liam stated, rather than asked.

"Yeah, we're holding our own right now, but that's mainly due to the Asguard.  My buddy Thor pops in every now and then, I'll introduce you if you want.  Good news, Ra and Apophis is dead.  Bad news, now we got Apophis – an Ancient wanna-be that didn't quite get kicked out of the club."

Liam opened his mouth to say something when the alarms began to ring.

"Forcryingoutloud!  Can't I have one emergency going on at a time, is that too much to ask?"

Jack turned to Liam and ordered, "Liam, stay here.  No matter what happens."

With that Jack left.

Alone in the room, Liam held the pendent in his hand.  A small hum could be heard, and he began to glow.

Quietly, he left the room.

TBC 

A/N:  Have no idea if I spelt 'Chapa'ai' right but I really didn't feel like searching around for the actual spelling.  Tell me what you think!


	5. Ch 4 Points in Time

A/N:  Some of the reviewers felt I should have given some warning about the 'disciples' of Liam – I purposely used a wide variety from several sources so as not to single out a single religion.  This won't be an integral part of the story – it was only meant to show that he did have an impact on humanities' evolution.  I'm a Religious Studies major so I have a tendency to place religious context in my stories without thinking about it.  

Chapter 4 – Points in time

Jack ran to the Control Booth, trying to determine the cause of the alarms.

"Sergeant, what's going on?"

"Sir, someone is dialling in and we haven't received a GDO signal yet."

"Close the iris, now!"

"Yes sir!"

The iris closed and everyone in the booth held their breath.  Nothing could be heard from the Stargate.

"Shouldn't there have been a thump?  Why open a wormhole if you don't send something through to go thump?" O'Neill asked.  Carter and Hammond ran into the control room. 

"What's going on?" the General demanded.

"Well, sir, we have an incoming wormhole without the thump."

"The thump?" Hammand asked incredulous.  

"I think what the Colonel means, sir, is that whoever opened the wormhole didn't send anything through it," Carter replied.

O'Neill just grinned innocently and shrugged his shoulders.

"That's what I said."

"Um, General, I'm receiving some strange readings from the iris.  The metal temperature appears to be rising at an exponential rate," the sergeant reported nervously.

Carter double-checked the readings.

"He's right, sir.  If this keeps up, the entire iris will melt away in less than fifteen minutes."

The officers looked towards the iris, where a small hole had already appeared.

*************************************

The scholars looked up sharply as the warning bells went off.  Matthew looked around, confused.  What could be the big emergency?  

Daniel Jackson looked at his colleague.  He couldn't leave the man alone, not if the emergency was alien related.  But he had no way to find out what was going on.  The two men waited for five minutes when Jack O'Neill ran into the room.

"Daniel, we have a problem.  I need you to get your friend up to the surface immediately."

"But, Jack, I can't just leave," Daniel protested.

"You can and will, there's no time to explain," with that the colonel turned to leave but stopped when Matthew spoke up.

"Wait! What about my son?"

Jack cursed, momentarily forgetting that the boy was still in his office.

"Just go!  I'll get Liam and have a sergeant escort him off the base."

Before either of the archaeologists could protest, he took off running.  Daniel grabbed Matthew's arm and pulled the man along.  All around them armed soldier rushed towards the gateroom.  It had been ten minutes since the alarms had begun to ring.  They reached the elevator and began the long climb upwards.  They had reached the upper levels when they felt the mountain shake.

"What the hell was that?" Matthew cried.

Daniel looked back towards the closing elevator doors.

"I don't know."

************************************

The gateroom was in chaos; most of the iris had been melted away when an object came through the Stargate.  The soldiers hit the deck and an explosion rocked the room.  Debris was everywhere and very few bodies where moving.  Jaffa streamed through the now clear room.

They secured the area and waited as their God walked through the Chapa'ai.

************************************

"Sergeant, I want this entire facility locked down!" the General yelled as he watched the security monitors.  In seconds the entire building was in lockdown.  The SGC watched as the Goa'uld walked through the Stargate.

The woman was tall with long dark hair with middle-eastern features.  She was wearing a skimpy blood-red robe, and had a ribbon device on her right hand.  An injured soldier closest to her tried to aim his weapon.  She turned glowing eyes towards him.

"I am your God, Kali, Goddess of Death and Destruction.  Bow before me or die."

The soldier raised his weapon but screamed as the ribbon device was activated.  He slumped to the floor dead.

"Everyone, evacuate the floor and retreat to defensive areas," the General ordered through the intercom.

The General ran towards his office and picked up the red phone.

"Sir, we have a problem."

************************************ 

The Goa'uld surveyed the area with calm.  These tau'ri would fall before her, and she would become the most powerful system lord.  Her First Prime bowed before her.

"My queen, the tau'ri have abandoned the area and have moved to easier defended areas.  I have sent your troops and I believe we shall have the facility in a matter of hours."

The fake Goddess smiled.

"Excellent.  But remember, I want Jack O'Neill taken alive."  She smiled smugly.  "I want to parade him before the rest of the system lords as a symbol of my power."

The Jaffa nodded sharply and left.

The Goa'uld turned to sit on the thrown her Jaffa had brought through the gate for her.  As she sat, she frowned and examined the room.  For a moment, she had felt a powerful presence.

_I must have imagined it_.

************************************   

Jack ran through the hallways as far as his legs could carry him.  His knees protested the treatment, but the man was beyond caring.

He stopped momentarily as he spotted Carter.

"Carter!  What's going on?"

"Sir, they've captured the gateroom.  The general has ordered a complete lockdown of the base.  Where's Daniel?"

"He's safely topside.  Who are the 'they'?"

"Goa'uld, sir.  She called herself 'Kali'.  We've been ordered to move to secure areas and try and stop their advance.  The General is on the phone with the president right now."

"All right, get going."

"Sir, aren't you coming?"

Jack just took off running, and Carter headed in the other direction.  

He reached his office out of breath and opened the door.

"Liam, we've got to…" Jack trailed off as he realized he was talking to an empty room.

"Forcryingoutloud!"

TBC

I want Pepsi offered up in sacrifice before I update again!  


	6. Ch 5 Sacrifices

A/N:  The pepsi sacrifice has been deemed worthy – though someone had the nerve to offer up diet ::shudders::

Thanx to everyone who have reviewed – I never thought this story would become popular since it was just something that popped into my head one day.  

Chapter 5 – Sacrifices  

The level was an experiment in chaos.  Few areas were left unscathed by zat blasts and bullets.  Bodies littered the hallways – both the dead and dying.  Debris acted as obstacles and shelter – depending on which end of the weapon you were on.  Screams echoed through the halls as the battle cries of the Jaffa mingled with death screams of their victims.  

And amongst this a child walked.

Liam, protected by the shroud of the pendent, walked unmolested through the battles.  He sat with the dying; though they couldn't see him they took comfort in his presence.  He walked with the wounded, and watched the soldiers fight with everything they had.

It was utter madness – as all wars were.

The Puranas made his way to a large room where he sensed an alien presence.  He watched the alien woman send her First Prime off in search of Jack.  The alien appeared to momentarily sense Liam's presence but the Furling technology was too powerful.  

Liam watched the glowing eyes and remembered his lessons from so long ago.

The Furlings were a peaceful race, though not pacifists like the Nox.  They were willing to strike at those who hurt them, but rarely killed.  When the four races came together to fight the Goa'uld, the Furlings supplied the weaponry but didn't anticipate in the battles themselves.  

The aliens taught their 'children' to avoid the Goa'uld rather than fight them.  One of the functions of Liam's pendent, as well as Sanctuary, was to protect their children from the fake Gods.  

Liam was unsure why the Furlings had retreated from this galaxy; they never explained their reasons only that they felt it was necessary.  As such, he hadn't interfered when the Goa'uld Ra occupied the Earth.  The Puranas trusted his 'parents' greatly, but as he watched the devastation caused by a single Goa'uld…he wondered.

******************************        

Jack was covered in bruises and scrapes when he managed to make it to the temporary command centre.  Carter and General Hammond were in deep discussion when they noticed the colonel.  Both breathed a sigh of relief before Hammond asked, "Where the hell have you been?  Jaffas have taken control of the gateroom level and are slowly moving they're way upwards and my second-in-command takes of to God knows where!"

"Sorry, General.  I was trying to locate a civilian that was on the base."

"I thought Daniel got his colleague out of the mountain before the shut down?" Carter asked, turning away from the monitors.  Jack shook his head.

"Not him, the guy's son.  I was entertaining the boy while the geeks talked about their rocks.  I left him in my office but he's not there anymore."

Hammond swore under his breath.

"Let's hope the boy has enough sense to hide on the upper levels before this is all over.  Unfortunately, our top priority is securing the base.  I've spoken with the President; we have one hour to regain control or this entire base is going to be destroyed."

"Sir, I don't think we'll be able to retake the base in that short period of time.  With an open gate Kali can refresh her troops for as long as it takes.  If we could retake the Stargate we might have a chance – but I don't see how we can even get there," Carter said, gesturing to the monitors.

In black and white the images didn't look real; that it wasn't their friends and comrades lying dead and dying.  But it was, and O'Neill had never left a man behind – ever.  He wasn't about to start now.

A movement caught his eye on the monitory.  In the gateroom, the Goa'uld was sitting down on an imported throne.

_Pretty arrogant bitch, isn't she?  Just got here and she's already decorating the place_.

It was her sudden movement that caught his attention.  For a moment, Kali had stared intently at a spot across the room.  But there was nothing there, not even a Jaffa.  She seemed confused and obviously shaken by whatever had caught her attention.  But there was nothing _there_ to catch her attention.

Or was there?

Jack remembered back when he was living with the Shirit'ai – before the Puranas 'died'.  As an assassin he prided himself on his ability to blend into the environment, as well as his ability to sense danger coming.  But the Puranas was continuingly able to sneak up on the soldier.  It became a game between the two – one Jack never won.

Frustrated, O'Neill had asked point blank how the Puranas was doing it.

The man had only smiled and touched his pendant enigmatically.

Maybe the thing isn't only a communication device.  If I were leaving my kid on a hostile planet, I would leave some protection behind.

There was no time to test the theory; Jack wasn't even sure if Liam would interfere in the matter.  Direct interference was never the Puranas' method – but the Puranas hasn't faced watching his Sruti about to be killed by a mad wanna-be god.  Jack thought for a second.

I don't think anyway, but the guy has been around for a couple millennia.

"Carter, have you found the First Prime?" Jack asked.

Carter looked at the colonel curiously, wondering what he was planning. 

"Yes, sir.  Here," she said, pointing the monitor displaying a corridor near the gateroom, "from what we've been able to gather he's looking for something, or someone."

Jack grunted; it was no secret that the system lords saw him as a trophy to be won.  Without a word, the headed off in the direction of the First Prime before anyone could stop him.

He reached the barricade to find that Teal'c was already helping to defend the area.  

"Hey, T, buddy, how ya doing?"

"We are under attack, ColonelONeill," Teal'c stated, wondering why the colonel was asking him such a question.

"Yeah, I kind of noticed that.  How long do you think you'll be able to hold the line?"

 Teal'c considered.

"Not long.  The enemy has support troops and we do not.  What is you're plan, ColonelONeill?"

"Oh, you know me.  Just going to take one for the team."

With that Jack stood up with his hands held up.

"Don't shoot!  You wouldn't want to upset her uptightness, now would we?" Jack yelled as he slowly walked towards the enemy, to the dismay of his teammate.  The First Prime grabbed him roughly and hauled him off.  

Teal'c watched helplessly as his friend was hauled away, unsure why O'Neill had chosen to sacrifice himself in such a manner.  The call to retreat came over the radio and the men abandoned their post.

And O'Neill to his fate.

TBC

You know, this is turning out better than I thought.  I actually have a plotline in mind – it feels unnatural. 

What I really need for chips to sacrificed up – you know, to go with the pepsi.  ::sigh:: but if you _want_ you could always just review ::heavier sigh:: I guess. 


	7. Ch 6 Decisions

A/N:  Well, this story wasn't next in the update queue … but I was informed by my roommate that if I didn't update NOW I would find myself with several broken bones (none of which would interfere with my typing).  So I dedicate this chapter to Logan, who scares me.

Thanx to everyone who've reviewed so far, I honestly didn't think this would become as popular as it has.  Ahh, I remember back when this was going to be a side-project…..

Chapter 6 – Decisions 

"Hey, easy on the arm there, snake belly, wouldn't want to damage the goods now, would we?" Jack complained to the tall Jaffa, eliciting no verbal response but O'Neill winced as the First Prime tightened the hold on Jack's arm.  It hadn't taken them long to get to the throne room, at least that's the way it felt to Jack.  Of course, he had spent most of the time berating himself for being a fool and for having a death wish.  

The jaffa brought Jack before Kali, who posed on her thrown.

"Bow before your God, Jack O'Neill," Kari gloated, pointing to the ground.

"Good advice, when I meet Him, I'll give him your regards," Jack quipped.  The First Prime kicked the back of Jack's knee and he fell to knees before Kali.  The Goa'uld's smile never wavered.

"I would think more carefully about your situation before you speak, if I was you, tau'ri.  You'll make a fine trophy to parade before the system lords, alive …" Kali regarded her ribbon device speculatively, "or dead."

Jack opened his mouth to make another comment, when he felt the pain of the ribbon device.  When the pain left, Jack was left gasping on the floor, unable to sit up.

"Do not make the mistake in thinking you have any choice in the matter.  Your life and your death are in my hands now."

Kali gestured towards her First Prime. 

"We have what we've come for, the tau'ri are probably planning to destroy this base and their people rather than let us have it.  Not that there is anything stopping us from coming again.  Recall the troops.  You two," Kali ordered, pointing to two Jaffa, "bring this tau'ri through the Chapa'ai."

Kali stepped towards the gate when she felt the sudden presence of immense power.  She turned around quickly to see a small boy standing at the other side of the room.  Though Liam had lowered the invisibility around himself, the shield was still on which gave him a glow.

"Who are you?" Kali demanded.

"If you are really a God," Liam titled his head, "then I wouldn't have to answer that question, nor would you have to ask."

The Jaffa watched the boy with uncertainty as he approached them.  One dropped O'Neill and charged the boy – only to find himself being flung into a wall by the boy's shield.

"You may leave in peace, but I will not allow you to take O'Neill with you."

The rest of the Jaffa entered the room.

"Shoot them!" Kali cried, pointing at Liam and O'Neill.  The jaffa obeyed immediately, and a multitude of staff weapons discharged.  When the firing stopped, Liam had Jack in his arms – both protected by the shield and unharmed.  The boy let go of Jack gently and walked towards the false God, leaving Jack encased in his own shield.  In frustration, the Goa'uld tried used the ribbon device but to no avail.

Kali glared at the boy when she caught sight of the pendent around his neck.  Her eyes widened in shock as she recognized the design.  

"Furling," she hissed.  The boy made no acknowledgement of the statement but gestured towards the gate.  

Realizing she had no choice – she and her jaffa retreated.

For now.

*********************************

General Hammond and the three members of SG1 stood just inside the infirmary, looking across the room at the still figure of Jack O'Neill.

"How is he, Doctor?" Hammond asked Dr. Frasier.

"There's no serious damage – though he did get a heavy dose of the ribbon device.  What is surprising is that he's healing at an accelerated rate, and I don't know why."

"What the hell happened down there?" General Hammond asked Teal'c.

"I am unsure, GeneralHammond.  ColonelONiell surrendered to the First Prime, I do not know why," Teal'c replied, "The last I saw of ONeill he was being taken to the gateroom."

"What about the monitors?  Didn't you have the gateroom covered?" Daniel asked.

Carter nodded.

"We did, up until Kali was going to go back through the Stargate.  For some reason, at that moment the feed cut out.  It started up again five minutes later, but by then the Goa'uld was gone and the Colonel was lying unconscious on the floor."

 A sergeant came up to Daniel Jackson.

"Dr. Jackson? I have a message from Dr. Matthew Stanton for you; he asks if you've been able to find his son."

"Oops," Daniel said, looking nervous.

"Oops, Dr. Jackson?" the General reiterated incredulously.

"Yeah, I kind of forgot about him.  Jack told us to head to the surface and that he would find Liam himself.  I completely forgot about the boy until now."

"Did Jack ever find him?" Janet asked concerned.

Daniel shrugged his shoulders helplessly.  

The entire base was searched, as well as among the dead bodies.  The boy could not be found.  Daniel and Carter were walking to the infirmary, hoping Jack had awakened and could tell them if he had hid the boy somewhere when they heard a beeping noise.

Daniel stopped.

"Did you hear that? Where is it coming from?" he asked, looking around.  Carter followed suit and then pointed to a door.

"I think it's coming from Jack's office."

They looked inside and there on the bed was Liam Stanton, playing on Jack's GameBoy.  The boy looked up at the two adults and smiled innocently.

"Hi, is Jack done with his work yet?  He said he'd show me how to bypass level 22 when he got back."

Daniel knelt down in front of the boy.

"Liam, did you hear or see anything…weird, since Jack left you?"

Liam shook his head.

"Nope, but it would have been cool if aliens had taken over the base or something.  I'm getting tired of waiting for Jack."

"Yeah…cool," Daniel echoed, and turned to say something to Sam.

Neither saw the mischievous smile on Liam's face as he turned back to his game.  

TBC            


	8. Ch 7 Dreams

A/N:  Thank you all my lovely reviewers – if it wasn't for you I doubt I'd have released the second chapter by now.  You all keep me inspired!  (though you also keep me from studying GRRRR)

Chapter 7 – Dreams

Jack O'Neill surveyed his surroundings, but the scenes kept changing.  At one moment he was in the Gateroom as the people worked, another in the Sanctuary – watching the Shirit'ai pray and practice.  

Faces came and went, until the images vanished and he found himself in the desert…surrounded by dead bodies.  Frantically, he turned them over to reveal their faces, to see if he recognized them.

He did.

Teal'c, Carter, Daniel, Hammond…their bodies torn apart and left scattered. 

And in an instant their faces changed and it was the Shiriti'ai that lay dead at his feet.  

The scene shifted again and he was at the Sanctuary, but this time it was filled with military personnel.  He watched helplessly as they deconstructed the temple, trying to understand how it worked.  Running inside, Jack found Carter working on the Altar, while Daniel tried to translate the inscriptions.  

"Where are the Shiriti'ai?"

Daniel and Carter looked up, annoyed at the interruption.

"Oh…they were taken to a security compound for their own protection," Carter said offhandedly.

"They were safe here," Jack protested.

"Sacrifices have to be made," Daniel said, not bothering to look up.  Jack started to protest again when the Sanctuary vanished. 

Now he was in the control room, watching as Kali's forces come through the Stargate – helpless to stop them.  Jack ran through the hallways, shooting Jaffa as he ran by.  But it wasn't enough, and all around him people – his friends – died. 

He reached the doorway to the Stargate, only to find Carter dying.  He held her in his arms and she tried to look at him as her vision began to fade.

"If we had only been able to find the Sanctuary Daniel was telling us about, we could have prevented this," Carter whispered, coughing up some blood.  Another tremor shook her body, and she laid still. 

Behind him he heard a laugh, and he turned to find himself face to face with Kali.  With a roar, he charged the Goa'uld but no matter how fast he ran he couldn't reach her.  Exhausted, he fell to the ground.  Looking up, he saw the mocking grin on her face.

"You killed them!" he yelled.  Kali's face just grew bigger.

"That is where you are wrong, Jack O'Neill – or should I call you Sruti.  It's your hands that are covered in their blood."

The false Goddess gestured downwards and to his horror Jack saw the blood on his hands.  The Goa'uld laughed at his expression.

Suddenly everything disappeared – except for the blood on his hands.  There was nothing but darkness beyond the single beam of light O'Neill stood in.  Out of the shadows he heard a voice ask, "If you can not save both whom will you chose?"

"I don't know what you mean!" Jack yelled back, trying to locate the voice.  Daniel Jackson walked out from the darkness and spoke.

"If you reveal the location of the Sanctuary, we can use the technology there to defeat the Goa'uld." 

Another figure stepped forward.

"But if you reveal the Sanctuary, it will leave the Shiriti'ai defenceless."

The two disappeared and a new form stepped forward – their identity still hidden within the shadows.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Jack O'Neill!"

"But are you not the Sruti?"

"Forcryingoutloud!  I'm both!"

"Those two duties may one day contradict; what will you do then? Which oaths will you honour, and which will you betray?"

"I don't know, okay! Is that what you wanted to hear!" Jack snarled, reaching for the figure and pulled him into the light.  A surprised look appeared on Jack's face when he recognized the figure.

"Liam…why are you doing this?"

"You must prepare for what is to come," and with that he vanished.

"What's coming? Liam?"

"Liam!"

Jack jerked awake to find himself in the infirmary.  He looked around, bewildered, the dream still fresh in his mind.  Seeing her patient awake, Janet Frasier came over with a smile.

"Glad to see you awake, Colonel, you gave us a bit of a scare."

"What happened?" Jack asked, his voice a little hoarse.  The other members of SG-1 entered the room in time to hear his comment.

"We were hoping you could tell us, sir.  The monitors went down in the Gateroom as soon as you entered," Carter stated.

"Kali?"

"Gone, Jack.  Though we don't know why," Daniel answered.  Jack closed his eyes, trying to remember what happened before he blacked out.

"This was just a test run; she knew we would blow the joint rather than give the Goa'uld a stronghold.  She just wanted me as proof to the system lords that she could take Earth at any time."

"And why did she not, ONeill?  You were in no condition to offer any resistance," Teal'c wondered.

"Geez, thanks for the vote of confidence, T" Jack said sarcastically.

"I meant no offence, ONeill."

"But Teal'c is still right, why didn't Kali take you with her?" Daniel asked Jack, trying to see if the other man was hiding anything.  

An image of Liam flashed through the colonel's mind, as he presented Daniel with his best 'I'm just a colonel, don't ask me" expression.

"Jack!" 

Everyone turned to see Liam, accompanied by his father.  The boy came rushing up to Jack and gave him a big hug.

"I waited in your office like you told me too, but you never came back," the boy informed him, a mischievous twinkle in his eye that only the colonel could see.  An answering twinkle shone back at the boy.  "Why are you in the hospital, are you injured?"

"Um, Jack fell when he was, um, turning of the alarms," Daniel lied – badly.

"Right, because it was a false alarm," Carter added.

It was the result of years of training that allowed Jack and Liam to maintain straight faces as they watched two members of a secret military operation try to lie convincingly to a twelve years old boy.

And failing.

"Liam, we have to get going now," Matthew Stanton said, a little unnerved by his son's attachment to the colonel.  The boy turned back to his father with a grimace.

"Do I have to? I want to spend some more time with Jack."

"Another time, Liam."

"Okay," Liam sighed, letting it show in his voice the supreme martyrdom he was experiencing.  The adults chuckled at the boy's behaviour and Liam reached over to give the colonel a hug.

Placing his mouth by Jack's ear, Liam whispered to Jack.  

The Stantons left the base, and it was on the drive home that Matthew asked his son what he had whispered to the colonel.

Liam continued to look out the window, so his father never saw the mixture of worry and sadness and resignation on his face.  

"I said, 'Sweet dreams'."

A/N: Hmm…I've been in a weird introspective mood lately – oh well, it resulted in the update.  Hope you enjoyed!


	9. Ch 8 Meetings

A/N: I'm hazy when all the deferent Goa'uld died, so forgive any inconsistencies in the time line; but it's after Apophis' death and before Anubis (whenever that was :P)  Sorry I haven't updated earlier – but I'm depressed over this weather.  Only in Canada can it be 28 degrees above Celsius one day, and be snowing the next day!  I want to move to Tahiti… 

Chapter 8 – Meetings 

"Okay, people, this is our situation.  Right now we have recalled all SG teams and have established a continuous outgoing wormhole to the Tollan homeworld, so this Goa'uld can't get through the Stargate.  This is a temporary solution at best, what can you tell me?"

General Hammond sat down and regarded the members of the meeting.  SG-1 sat on one side, while Siler and the other technicians sat on the other side.  It had been a week since the invasion by Kali, and they were still no closer to finding a way to permanently prevent her from entering the base again.  

Short of burying the Stargate.

"Sir, we can't keep the Stargate online for much longer – there is already too much strain on the breakers as it is," one of the technicians said.

"Can't we just replace them?"

"Yes, sir, but we'd need to shut down the gate…"

Everyone at the table fell silent, understanding the unspoken message.  With the technology the Goa'uld possessed, even with a new iris there was no metal on earth that could withstand the heat generated by whatever device the Goa'uld had developed.

"I know this is a farfetched idea, but I think if we find the Shiriti'ai we may be able find the help we need," Daniel said tentatively.  Siler looked confused.

"The who?"

Jack audibly groaned and leaned back in the chair with his head facing upwards.  Daniel gave him a small glare and regarded the general sincerely.

"The Shirit'ai are a group that have existed for a millennia, untouched, here on earth.  Every time they have been threatened, they completely disappear.  They emerged a week ago, and have now disappeared again.  Even using satellite imaging not even a trace of their whereabouts could be found."

"So you think they're using alien technology?" Hammond asked sceptically.  Jack also threw Daniel a credulous look but inside he was worried.  Even using their alien technology, Jack didn't think they could find the Sanctuary – but nothing is one hundred percent certain.

"Well, right now, I don't think we have anything to lose.  We haven't been able to contact the Tok'ra or the Asguard and we can't keep the wormhole open forever.  And while it's open we can't go looking for new technologies, so…what have we got to lose?"

"And how to you propose to find these people, when we can't even locate them using satellite feeds?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"They said, before they disappeared, that they were looking for their Puranas and Sruti – here in the States.  Now, it would be impossible to find their reincarnated leader, but their Sruti would be someone who most likely came to the United States twelve years ago.  My research tells me that the Sruti literally means 'Guardian of Sanctuary' – that means he would have been appointed at the time of the Puranas' death.  The Shiriti'ai were fairly active before his death, so we should be able to find out if one of their members is here in the states.  At the very least, it's a place to start."

Jack's blood ran cold at the thought of Daniel doing what he was proposing.  If they discovered the involvement of the States…and they would find out if they somehow managed to find out that 'John Smith' was a member of the Shiriti'ai.

At least the General wouldn't go for it.

"Very well, Jackson, you have a go."  

Or not.

*******************************************

The room was in total darkness, except for the single light encompassing the oval table.  The nine figures sat in darkness – each not knowing the identity of the others; except for the fact that they knew that each member at that table was powerful, influential, and dangerous.

"The last situation to be dealt with today is the matter concerning Colonel Jack O'Neill and the Shiriti'ai."

"I don't see why we don't just kill him and get it over with."

"Because he is valuable where he is – for the moment at least."

"Why such concern over these nomadic bums?  Even if the Puranas is reincarnated he or she would be a twelve years old child, no one would believe them."

The chairman held up a hand to silence the various members.

"I've received intelligence that states that Dr. Daniel Jackson believes the Shiriti'ai have advanced alien technology which has allowed them to avoid capture.  If this is true, then I think we should relieve them of it."

"But how?  There has been no evidence of Colonel O'Neill having contact with the Shiriti'ai or the supposedly reincarnated Puranas.  Without that connection, how do you propose we find them?"

At that point, the only member that had been quiet during the exchange spoke up.

"An unusual file came across my desk the other day; the SGC were under attack, and the enemy had captured our belligerent Colonel.  But instead of taking him, they mysteriously left him behind – injured, but then making a miraculously quick recovery."

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"On that same day, a Matthew Stanton and his twelve years old son, Liam, arrived on the base.  Perhaps it's just a coincidence…but when have we needed more than that to act, hmm?"

*************************************

The massive room was extravagantly decorated – gold carvings adorned the room walls and at the centre was a pool of water.  Surrounding the pool sat the System Lords, the elite of the Goa'uld.  They eyed each other suspiciously, waiting for the their 'host' to make an appearance.  The doors flew open and Kali strode into the room.  She sat down and regarded the System Lords.  

They were disgusted that this low rank Goa'uld lord had the nerve to sit with them as equals, but they were also curious as to why she had endangered herself by contacting them.

"Why have you called us here, Kali?" Cronos asked.  "You have nothing of value so offer us."

"Not even the information on the whereabouts of a Furling?" she asked innocently.  The others began to shout, denying her claims before she could give proof.  Cronos remained seated and looked at Kali steadily.  It was no secret the Goa'uld was vying for power amongst the System Lords, but she wasn't foolish enough to lie.  

At least, not about a matter such as this.  

"Quiet!" he shouted and the other System Lords sat down.  "Continue."

"I have discovered technology that allows me to break through the protection the Tau'ri have placed on their Chapa'ai.  I invaded their base, and captured that particularly annoying Tau'ri – O'Neill.  Unfortunately, I was prevented from taking him through the Gate…by a Furling."

One of the Goa'uld snorted disdainfully.

"The Furlings have been gone from this part of the galaxy for a millennia, and you expect us to believe you found one on the Tau'ri homeworld?"

"Are you sure it was a Furling?"

"How would someone as low as you even recognize a Furling, even if you have seen one?"

"ENOUGH!" Cronos said.  "The Furlings are a mixed race; adopting from other species and genetically blending them with their own.  Without a genetic tracer, it is impossible to identify a Furling unless it's an Elder.  And I rather doubt you would find one of those on a Tau'ri military base."

"I also rather doubt that a young Tau'ri boy would be able to use Furling Shielding technology and resist the Ribbon Device," Kali retorted.

The congregation grew quiet.

"Are you sure it was Furling technology?" Yuu asked, having remained silent until then.

"Yes, I recognized the design on the pendent the boy was wearing.  They, or one of the other three allies in their alliance, are the only ones able to use Furling technology because of its genetic security protocols.  There is no mistake, the boy is a Furling."

"Still…we have only your word – unless, of course, you can produce the boy," Cronos replied, his tone very serious.  "And if you do not, I will not take this waste of my time kindly."  

With that Cronos left, followed by the other System Lords until Kali was alone in the room.  Hesitantly, her First Prime came to stand by his master's chair.

"Have you been able to establish a connection?"

"No, my lady, they have either buried the gate or are maintaining a connection to another gate."

A smug smile crossed her face.

"Excellent."

TBC

A/N: Apparently people don't like it when I get existential (only 4 reviews for the last chapter) so hopefully everyone will like this chapter better!   


	10. Ch 9 Kidnapped

A/N:  For everyone's information – they shadow people at the table in the last chapter were the NID.  And thanks for all the reviews, as a leecher myself I should remember that just because there aren't reviews doesn't mean there aren't readers.  I'm just glad that everyone is enjoying this fic.

Reincarnating Crimes

Chapter 9 – Kidnapped 

Liam Stanton was arguably one of the most powerful people on the planet; has lived for several millennia and accumulated knowledge and wisdom from every human culture and several alien ones.  

He also was a twelve-year old boy.

So Liam laughed with his friends as they left the school, unaware of the black van following discreetly.  A few blocks from his house, Liam waved good-bye to friends and began to jog.  The van sped up and braked sharply in front of the boy, blocking his path.  Liam stared at the van, backing away slowly.  Men streamed out of the side door and grabbed the retreating boy.  

Within seconds the boy and the van disappeared.  

"Hey, Daniel, how was you're visit to Syria -- meet any long lost aliens?" Jack asked cheerfully as he and Carter walked into Daniel's office.  The jet-lagged archaeologist glared at the colonel and Carter smothered a grin.      

"No Jack, thanks for asking.  But I did find a lead on the Shiriti'ai.  I visited one of the last villages the Shiriti'ai lived in ten years before they disappeared.  The elders remembered an American that had joined the group, and returned to America after the Puranas' death."

"I don't see how that will help, Daniel.  Even if he knew where the Sanctuary was, how could we be able to find him with a name or a description," Carter said.

"The elders said that he called himself 'John Smith'," Daniel said, eyeing his audience expectantly.  Jack raised his eyebrows with a confused look on his face.

"And what are the odds that someone is really named John Smith?"

Carter's eyes widened as she caught on to what Daniel was saying.

"So you think that this American was a spy?" she asked, still somewhat dubious.

"It would make sense.  At the time there was a lot of heat concerning the Shiriti'ai; many leaders thought they were terrorists or rebels trying to create dissent.  Since they were preaching doctrine that could be viewed as anti-western culture it would make sense that the American government would send an operative."

"Do you really think the US government would spend money and resources to send a spy to the middle of nowhere to watch a bunch of hippies?" Jack asked sarcastically, not liking where Daniel was going with this.  Jack still thought it was impossible for the archaeologist to figure out who 'John Smith' was, but he also hadn't thought Danny would get this close either.  

But having even gotten this close could send the NID after Daniel…and him.

The archaeologist's phone began to ring and he answered it.  A shocked looked crossed his face, and he said, "Oh my god."

"Did anyone see anything?"

"I don't know; I'll have Jack look into it."

"I'll be in touch, good-bye."

Carter and Jack looked at their friend questionably.  

"I'll look into what?" Jack asked.

"That was Matthew Stanton.  His son has been kidnapped."

Liam huddled in his cell, trying to keep warm.  Soon after his abduction, he had been stripped of his clothes and given loose medical garments.  They took everything – from his socks to his watch.

And his pendent.  

Liam knew it wouldn't be long before they discovered that the pendent was made of a metal that couldn't be found on Earth.  At least it was impossible for the men to activate it.  But, unfortunately, that wasn't the only problem the pendent caused.

After receiving the device back from the Sruti, it had begun its secondary procedure.  In spirit Liam was a Furling, and the pendent began to make him that in body as well.  By beginning to alter Liam at a molecular level, Liam was no longer completely human – though the process wasn't finished it was far enough along for it to show on the blood tests the men were conducting.  

Two guards entered the cell and dragged the boy to a small room where a man sat in front of a small table.  Liam was shoved down into the opposing chair, and he glared at the man.  His eyes narrowed, as he regarded the figure.

"I know who you are," Liam said intensely.  The man gestured for the others to leave.  Within moments they were alone.

"We've done some tests on your blood – and they've come back with surprising results.  A human hybrid…but who created you?  It wasn't us, and it certainly wasn't any other agency.  Unless, of course, you did it yourself…Puranas."

Liam remained silent, watching.  Even without the pendent, he wasn't defenceless – but that didn't apply to his human companions.  Eventually, the Shiriti'ai would have to emerge from Sanctuary; a human wouldn't have the patience to wait, but…

"What do you want, Goa'uld?"

The man's eyes glowed briefly, and he smiled.

"What all Goa'uld want – power.  In this case, I gain it by delivering you to my mistress."

Liam's eyes widened as he made the connection.

"Kali," he breathed.  The Goa'uld nodded, still smiling smugly.

"Kali has come across a depository of ancient technology – much of which appears to be Furling.  A few of the devices still worked – like a super-heat conductor, and a stealth shield – much like the Nox use.  Kali was simply going to adapt these technologies to Goa'uld ships but after meeting you, she has a much bigger prize in mind."

"She wants to control all of the Furling technology," Liam said in horror, following the Goa'uld's train of thought.  "With that kind of advantage, she could become the leader of the System Lords."

The Goa'uld burst out laughing.

"You think too small, Furling.  With that kind of technology, the Asguard and Nox will fall before the Goa'uld, and Lady Kali will rule this universe."

Liam was taken back to his cell.  The boy remained quiet; knowing that the guards would never believe their superior was a Goa'uld.  Without the device, Liam was unable to contact his brethren amongst the stars – but his family on Earth was another story.

Liam closed his eyes and went into a deep trance.  A few hours later the NID scientists would try to break him out of it, but to no avail.  No amount of physical pain could break the trance.

Across the world in a small temple, a glowing globe circled with two bright dots.  One dot began to glow red, with such brightness the entire temple was coloured.  It was a call for help – a warning – an act of desperation.

It was a call to war.

TBC

A/N: Sorry if there's mistakes – I have to go to work and I won't be back until midnight so I thought I'd post it now – mistakes and all.  


	11. Ch 10 The Call

Reincarnating Crimes

Chapter 10 – The Call

It had been a week since Liam's disappearance and Jack had used every favour, every contact he had to try and find him – to no avail.  He also wasn't able to reach any of the Shiriti'ai, and there was no doubt that whomever captured Liam would have Jack under surveillance.  That meant going to the Sanctuary to try and locate the Puranas was also out of the question.

On top of it all, the disappearance of the Shiriti'ai unnerved the Colonel.  There was no way that Sanctuary could have been discovered, but that meant the others had disobeyed his ordered and left the shelter.  O'Neill didn't want to think what kind of crisis would force them to do that.

And as much as Jack wanted to spend all his energy on finding Liam, there was also the whole Kali situation to resolve.  Carter still hadn't been able to find a solution to their problem (short of burying the gate) and a few of the fuse boxes had already gone.  They didn't have much longer before they were forced to shut down the gate.

"Jack, have you found any leads on who took Liam?" Daniel asked, as he sat down beside the colonel for the morning debriefing.

"None of my contacts know a thing, so it's probably an NID operation."  Jackson looked at the colonel in confusion.

"Why would the NID want the twelve-year-old boy of an archaeologist?"

Geez, Daniel, maybe because he is the reincarnation of a spiritual leader that the government ordered me to kill – or because he is the child of an ancient alien race known as the Furlings that no one has seen in over a millennia?

"Don't know, Danny, I just work here."

Before Daniel could reply, the rest of the members of SG-1 as well as General Hammond entered the room and the meeting started.

"Major, have you had any success in solving our little problem?" the General asked, looking at his subordinate hopefully.

"I'm sorry, sir.  Unless we luck out and one of the off-world teams find a new metal that can withstand that kind of heat, I don't know what else to try," Carter replied helplessly.  "And, sir, we are running out of time.  I estimate we only have another twenty-four hours left at the most before we'll be forced to shut the gate down."

Hammond turned to Jackson.

"I don't suppose you've gotten anywhere finding this Sanctuary you spoke of earlier, Dr. Jackson?"

"Sorry, General, with the information I have – it'll be practically impossible to locate the Sruti, and now that the Shriti'ai have gone underground…"

Hammond sighed heavily.

"It was a long shot anyways.  Are there _any _suggestions on how to get ourselves out of this fire?"

The table fell silent – even the colonel didn't make a sarcastic remark.  A sergeant knocked hesitantly on the door.

"Yes, sergeant?"

"Sorry to interrupt, sir, but there are some people topside who are insisting that they speak with the colonel."

Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"With me?  Did they say who they were?"

"Yes, sir.  They said they were the Shiriti'ai."

The Goa'uld grinned cruelly at his captive.  The boy had stopped his trance a few hours ago, and had began to cry as he felt everything that had been done to his body in the mean time.  He didn't know what the boy had been doing, but it made the Goa'uld uneasy.  The Furlings were a mysterious race – even their allies knew almost nothing about them.  Except, of course, that they had advanced technology – perhaps greater than that of the Ancients, the builders of the Stargates.

"So, you've returned to the world of the living.  I hope you're homecoming wasn't too painful."

The boy just looked at the alien calmly.

"Jack will come for me."

"I hope he does.  And when my mistress has Earth's greatest hero, and a Furling under her control Earth and the other systems will fall before her.  There will be no rescue attempt; after all, they would need a working Stargate for that and pretty soon that will no longer be the case.  And it's not like your race will come to rescue you…everything is going according to Kali's plan."

Liam continued to smile calmly.

"Jack will come for me."

The Goa'uld stared at the boy for a moment, a shiver of premonition racing up his spine.  He shook himself slightly.  That's impossible; there was nothing that the Furling could do to stop them. 

The plan was perfect. 

"Um, Jack, why is a long-lost sect of Hinduism who might possibly have alien technology that is the key to saving the world asking for you?" Daniel asked Jack, who had finally gotten over the shock and vaulted out of his seat.  Seconds later, the rest of SG1 and Hammond followed.

Reaching the gates Jack was shocked to see that not only was it a few members of the Shiriti'ai – it was ALL of them.  Over forty people stood waiting for him; including children and one or two pets.  Upon seeing their Sruti, every member of the Shiriti'ai went down on their knees and paid homage to the Guardian of the Sanctuary, chosen by the Puranas.

"Colonel, would you care to explain what is going on here?" Hammond asked in exasperation, wondering what his second-in-command had managed to get himself into this time.

"Um, well, you see, sir…" Jack started helplessly, looking back and forth between the general and the bowing Shiriti'ai. 

One of the children (about four years old) broke from her mother's hold and ran towards Jack.  Instinctively, he caught her barrelling body and lifted her up.  The girl wrapped her arms trustingly around Jack's neck.

"Mommy told me that you were going to kill the demons and bring back the Puranas," she told the colonel confidentially – in Aramaic.  "And then the Sruti will be able to come back home to the Sanctuary with the Puranas and everyone will be happy again!"

Jack looked into those eyes and made a decision.

"That's right," he replied in Aramaic, "and everyone will get to live in eternal bliss."

The girl grinned and snuggled closer.  Jack looked over her head to see the faces of the members of the SGC.  Carter and Hammond were shocked to hear Jack speak another language; Teal'c simply raised his eyebrow; and Danny…

…was looking at Jack with a mixture of horror and speculation. 

It was then that Jack remembered that Daniel was fluent in several languages, including dead ones. 

Like Aramaic.

TBC

A/N:  I'm pretty sure that Aramaic is a dead language – but if it's not, just go with me on this one.    


	12. Ch 11 Preparations

A/N: For those who have waited….and waited…and sat around…and waited…and quite frankly I would be shocked if such people still exist waiting for this story

Reincarnating Crimes

Chapter 11 – Preparations

Hammond stood in front of the Briefing Room, staring at SG-1 as they sat at the table – in particular, at his Colonel. The other members of SG-1 tried to avoid direct eye contact with either of the two men.

"Colonel O'Neill, would you kindly explain to me why I have a group of international fugitives camped outside in my yard?" Hammond asked in the special tone of mixed frustration, annoyance, and disbelief he reserved for his second's antics. "Especially after we have spent considerable time and effort trying to locate Daniel's 'lost people'."

"They got a really good group rate?" Jack asked innocently.

"Colonel, I don't believe you understand the seriousness of the situation. You have lied to your superior officer concerning the whereabouts of a people that could have vital information to the protection of this planet!"

Jack opened his mouth to say something, and then appeared to think better of it.

"Do you have something to say in your defence, Colonel?"

"I was just going to say, sir, that technically I didn't lie. No one ever asked me if I knew the location of the Shiriti'ai."

Hammond looked about ready to explode. Luckily for Jack, there was a knock on the door. An apologetic Sergeant entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt, sir, but you wanted to be notified when a representative of the Shiriti'ai was decided," he said, standing aside to allow a middle-aged woman wearing Eastern garb to enter into the room. Jack smiled, recognizing her as the woman who had visited him years ago right after he had killed the Puranas. Immediately, the woman made her way to where Jack was sitting and knelt before him, grabbing his hands, and placing a few kisses on them. Jack shifted uncomfortably at the display, but did nothing the stop her.

Standing the woman turned to General Hammond and gave a small bow.

"Thank you, General, for allowing us to remain close to our Sruti. I am Ushala, I speak for the Shiriti'ai if that is your insistence."

Originally, the Shiriti'ai refused to speak through anyone other than their Sruti. Daniel spent several hours trying to explain that since their Sruti was a member of the United States military, it would be a conflict of interest for him to act as their liaison. He wasn't getting anywhere until Jack himself told the Shiriti'ai to select a representative from amongst themselves – then saying something in a language that Daniel didn't even recognize as being similar to any language on Earth he knew of.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have much time for diplomatic niceties. We're working on a limited timetable here, and one of my people, Dr. Daniel Jackson, believes you may have the solution to our problems."

Ushala turned to Jack before answering, "What is it that we have that could be of service to you?"

Hammond gestured for Daniel to continue.

"Throughout your entire history you have been persecuted, but despite the hostile neighbours and historical changes you have developed relatively unaffected. In fact, whenever a situation becomes particularly dangerous your group completely disappears off the face of the planet. Over ten years ago, after the death of your leader, your group disappeared again into a place you call 'Sanctuary'. Trackers, surveillance equipment – nothing worked. It is my belief that your people have access to advanced technology that allows you to shield yourselves."

"If we had such technology, how would it be of use to you?" Ushala asked slowly, her expression unreadable.

"We have a piece of technology that allows us to travel to other worlds, and we use a metal shield to protect ourselves from any hostile forces. But one of our enemies has discovered a way to penetrate that shield, and we need a new method of shielding to protect ourselves. If you do have shielding technology, we could use it to protect not only ourselves but the entire planet," Carter said.

Ushala considered this.

"If what you say is true – why are they not here now, while your protection is gone?"

"We are employing a temporary measure, but its only going to hold out for another twelve hours before we become vulnerable again. We've run out of options."

"I must speak with the Sruti, before speaking further," Ushala stated, leaving no room for argument. Hammond acquiesced and the two were left in the room alone.

"Why are you here? What has happened?" Jack asked in the sacred language, the same one that had Daniel searching for its origin. The Colonel was reasonably sure there was no one spying on this conversation, but he wasn't going to be taking any chances. Ushala looked at Jack, surprised that he would use the sacred language, but answered in kind.

"We have received a message from the Puranas."

"Do you know where he is?" Jack asked excitedly.

"Yes, we have several trackers with us in order to locate the Puranas, but that is not all." Ushala reached inside her cloak and handed Jack a device. He looked at it closely, surprised to see that it looked similar to a ribbon device. Sliding it on his hand, Jack knew instantly that it was a weapon. As his revelation was mirror on his face, Ushala continued, "For as long as our people can remember, the Shiriti'ai have avoided violence, but for the first time the Puranas has given out a call to war. All our people all well versed in its use, and we are prepared to use our knowledge on your orders. "

Jack O'Neill's mind whirled with the possible implications of this. Liam would never ask for the Shiriti'ai to kill unless there was something bigger going on than a simple NID abduction. Could this have something to do with the Goa'uld threat? Mentally, Jack shook himself and started to prioritise. First things first, they had to rescue Liam.

"Inform the General that only the Puranas has the authority to relinquish technology. Tell him that Liam Stanton is the Puranas and that is why you have come to the United States – to rescue him. Admit that you have that ability to track his location, but avoid mentioning any technology; make it seem like a natural ability."

"Do you not trust your own comrades, Sruti?"

"I trust General Hammond and SG-1 with my life, but someone very high up saw the mission reports of Liam's visit here and put two and two together. I don't want to make the NID anymore interested in the Shiriti'ai than they already are."

Ushala regarded Jack for a moment, a fond smile on her face and complete trust in her eyes. Jack avoided her gaze; uncomfortable with the trust the Shiriti'ai had placed in him. Hopefully, George had the same trust in him.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Liam Stanton lifted a weary head as he heard footsteps walking towards his cell. He glared at the Goa'uld who stood staring smugly at his prisoner, ordering the guards to leave them alone.

"I thought you would like to know your precious flock has arrived at Cheyenne Mountain. It seems they have run to O'Neill for help – it was quite a surprise when I heard from our agents that O'Neill has been concealing their whereabouts all these years. What I am curious about is why you saved Jack O'Neill from my mistress when he was the one who assassinated you?"

Liam remained silent.

"No matter. In less than twelve hours the SGC will be forced to terminate the wormhole and either bury the Stargate or leave themselves vulnerable to attack. And with all their attention focused on the Stargate, they will be unprepared when Lady Kali's modified ships attack. Of course, with no access to the Stargate, they'll have no means of contacting their allies. Even if their allies should arrive, with no advance warning they will fall quickly under Lady Kali's might."

"Nothing can stop us now."

The Goa'uld turned and left, leaving the Puranas alone with his thoughts. Head bowed, the guards never noticed the small smile that crept on his face.

_Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime, but he'll still need a fishing rod. Knowledge without the right tools is only worth half of its true value. And I have handed Jack a very effective fishing rod._

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

General Hammond sat at his desk looking over strategy and contingency plans for gate burial when Colonel O'Neill entered the room. Seeing the look on Jack's face, he already knew what his Colonel was here for.

"Colonel, we have less than ten hours remaining before all hell break's loose and you want me to sent troops to rescue a spiritual leader that I'm still having a hard time believing has been reincarnated as a twelve years old boy. I just can't do it."

"General, none of the Shiriti'ai have the authority to even tell us _if_ they have shielding technology. Besides, I think the Puranas knows more about what's going on than we do," Jack said, trying to convince the General.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because the Puranas would never put the Shiriti'ai in danger without having a damn good reason – and saving his own life isn't one of them, sir."

General Hammond regarded his second-in-command with interest. It was no secret that O'Neill trusted very few people and those he did were because they had earned it. Despite what he had said, Hammond was more inclined to believe that Liam Stanton was the reincarnation of the Puranas because of the faith O'Neill seemed to be placing in him. But Hammond was walking a fine line as it was with the upper brass.

"I'm sorry, Jack, I just can't spare the manpower."

"Then I request a leave of absence."

Hammond stared at Jack in disbelief. Noting Hammond's response Jack continued saying, "Otherwise, I'll have to tender my resignation."

"Colonel, I will not be blackmailed," Hammond said furiously.

"It's not blackmail, sir. Look…I can't tell you how I know it, but the only way we're going to get out of this situation is if we have the Puranas at our side," Jack said passionately. Hammond knew that when Jack was in this frame of mind, there was nothing he could to stop him – so his choices were to either let Jack go or wait for him to disobey orders and go.

"Alright, Colonel, you have a go but I can't spare anyone else."

"Oh, that's okay, General. I have some back up."

Hammond watched O'Neill leave, wondering what he had meant by that, and stared blankly at the paperwork in front of him. Right now Earth was between a rock and a hard place and he couldn't see anyway out of it. Their only hope was that one of their alien allies were contacted by the Tollans or Jack somehow manages to pull a rabbit out of his hat.

Again.

TBC

A/N: YES! It's done! ::doing a jig:: The chapter from hell is over with!


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